LPGA Tour: Celine Boutier, Leona Maguire and Rose Zhang four behind early Tournament of Champions leader Lim Kim
Lim Kim makes flying start on first day of 2025 LPGA Tour; South Korean cards bogey-free 65 to secure four-shot lead; Celine Boutier, Leona Maguire and Rose Zhang in cluster chasing Kim
Thursday 30 January 2025 23:24, UK
Celine Boutier, Leona Maguire and Rose Zhang are leading the chase to Lim Kim after she surged into a four-shot lead after day one of the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in Orlando.
South Korea's Kim hit seven birdies on her way to a bogey-free seven-under 65 at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club to secure a healthy clubhouse lead.
Boutier, Maguire and Zhang are the big hitters in a deep group at two-under after opening rounds of 70, poised to strike as the tournament unfolds.
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Maguire, one of the LPGA's fiercest competitors, has proven she can go low when it matters most. Boutier, coming off a career-defining 2023, has the firepower to contend in any event.
And Zhang, still juggling Stanford University coursework, continues to play beyond her years, showing the poise of a seasoned veteran.
Kim has carried her late-season momentum from 2024 into the new year. After winning the Lotte Championship in November, she doubled down on her off-season preparation with a focus on strength training - and it is already paying dividends.
"My shot is good. Putting it good. Everything is good," Kim, who is ranked 55th in the world, said.
Sitting just behind her, major champions Jin Young Ko and Patty Tavatanakit posted three-under 69s, keeping themselves firmly in contention.
Ko, a former world No 1, is determined to simplify her approach in 2024, while Tavatanakit fought through fatigue to post one of the day's better rounds.
World No 1 Nelly Korda opened with a steady one-under 71, while defending champion Lydia Ko struggled to a one-over 73.
Thompson to make LPGA return after retirement
Lexi Thompson will make her return to the LPGA Tour after announcing her retirement from full-time competition last year.
Thompson will compete in next week's Founders Cup, according to the field list for the tournament, with the 29-year-old qualifying after she ranked 50th in last season's CME points list.
When she announced last summer that it would be her last season competing full-time on tour, she did not say how often she would compete going forward.
Another possibility may be the Chevron Championship, the first major championship of the season, for which she is also qualified as a past winner.
The Founders Cup had been played in May in New Jersey in recent seasons but it has moved to a new location and spot on the schedule.
Bradenton Country Club will host it this year and it marks the second tournament on the schedule.
